182 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Sept,  i,  1892. 
The  prices  paid  for  medium  teas  at  the  opening  of 
the  market,  although  not  higher  than  last  year,  were 
thonght  by  many  to  be  dangerously  high  considering, 
the  low  valueB  ruling  in  the  London  market,  and  the 
telegraphed  sales  towards  the  end  of  July  proved  that 
they  were  so ; indeed,  the  losses  made  on  shipments 
up  to  that  time  were,  ou  the  average,  heavy.  Then, 
as  a natural  consequence,  prices  declined  and  remained 
low,  though  not  low  enough,  as  it  turned  out,  for 
the  well-being  of  those  who  shipped,  as  the  forced 
sales  of  the  increased  supply  of  CJe\lou  and  Indien 
teas  in  Mincing  Lane  farther  depressed  prices  in 
that  market,  and  if  losses  were  comparatively  light 
ou  these  autumn  shipments,  there  were,  none  the 
less,  on  the  balance,  losses.  As  regards  common  tea, 
it  was  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  it  would 
touch  a very  low  point  here  after  the  “boom”  which 
took  place  through  speculation  iu  London  in 
January  last ; nevertheless,  what  is  known  as  “Type” 
standard  was  brought  in  August  to  lay  down  at 
5|d  per  lb.,  at  which  price  it  remained  until  the 
middle  of  October,  when  it  rose  to  6d  on  account 
of  scaroity.  Such  of  these  teas  as  have  already  been 
sold  have  not  brought  back  the  money  paid  for  them, 
as  far  as  is  known  at  present ; therefore  the  season 
has  not  been  a profitable  one  for  shippers.  As,  how- 
ever, there  are  still  five  months  wherein  to  realise 
the  season’s  export,  now  virtually  complete,  it  may 
be  considering  the  exceptionally  favourable  statistical 
position  of  China  tea  in  London,  that  the  result  of 
the  year’s  trading  will  not  turn  ont  to  be  so  unfor- 
tunate as  was  at  one  time  expected.  To  the  natives 
the  season  has  again  been  one  of  severe  losses.  The 
little  profit  made  on  common  tea  went  no  way  to 
make  good  a tithe  of  the  money  they  lost  on  the 
better  kinds.  Those  of  them  who  have  been  engaged 
in  the  particular  branch  of  the  trade  of  making  tea 
and  bringing  it  down  to  their  market  appear  never 
to  have  heard  of  the  competition  of  Indian  and  CeyloD, 
or,  if  they  cannot  bring  themselves  to  believe  that 
tea  can  be  produced  in  any  country  other  than  their 
own. 
Very  Much  Alive  to  it  Now— Whatever  may 
have  been  the  case,  the  Chinese  are  now  alive  to  the 
facts.  The  report  we  have  referred  to  says  : — “ They 
are  at  length  alive  to  the  true  state  of  the  case,  and 
are  combining  to  face  the  difficulty.  From  what  is 
known  of  the  cost  of  preparing  tea  and  bringing  it 
to  their  market  the  ingenuity  of  these  Chinese  will  be 
taxed  severely.  The  cost  of  growing  may  be  a 
bagatelle,  and  labour  we  know  is  cheap  enough, 
but  the  lekin  and  petty  exactions  of  the  officials,  as 
the  tea  is  in  transit,  will,  as  matters  stand,  make 
it  a very  difficult  thing  for  them  to  compete  with 
India  and  Ceylon.  The  only  chance  of  success  lies 
in  these  exaotions  beiDg  reduced.  Then  there  is 
the  export  duty.  However  fair  it  may  have  been 
at  the  time  the  last  treaty  was  signed,  it  is  galling 
for  those  interested  in  the  trade,  both  the  Chinese 
and  the  foreigner,  to  know  that  25  to  30  per  cent, 
on  the  average  value  of  tea  has  to  be  paid.  Again, 
the  supply  of  Congou  shows  a serious  falling  off. 
The  deficiency  is  50,000  chests,,  or  13  per  cent.,  the 
figures  being  345,000  chests,  against  395  000  chests 
last  season,  and  (to  show  how  rapid  rhe  decdne  of  the 
trade  is)  850,000  cheats  in  1880.  Of  other  kinds  Sou- 
chong and  Pekoe  have  been  in  enppiy  about  the  same 
as  last  year,  while  Oolong  and  Scented  tea  show  an 
increase.  But  Congou  is  the  backbone  of  the  trade, 
the  total  yield  of  the  fear  last-named  descriptions 
being  only  90,000  chests.  A noticeable  feature  is  the 
larger  business  done  this  year  in  the  manufacture  of 
brick  tea  by  the  Russian  houses.  But  a small  pro- 
portion of  the  tea  used  for  this  purpose  is  included 
in  the  above  figures  of  Congou  supply,  the  remainder 
being  brought  down  to  these  firms  under  contract  in 
bags.” — H.  and  C.  Mail,  July  8. 
MUSHROOM  CULTURE. 
Mushrooms  are  healthful  and  find  a ready  sale  in  all 
markets,  and  yet  their  cultivation  is  almost  entirely 
neglected  in  the  United  States.  They  can  be  readily 
grown  in  the  cellars  of  farm  houses,  and  with  little 
more  trouble  in  the  cellars  of  ordinary  dwellings,  or 
for  that  matter,  in  the  store  cellar.  A market  gar- 
dener on  Long  Island  sells  from  1,700  to  2,500  pounds 
of  mushrooms  a year  from  his  two  cellars.  Every 
summer  he  cleans  out  his  cellars  and  lime  washes 
them  all  over.  He  ascribes  his  success  to  thorough 
cleaning.  The  microscopist  of  the  Department  of 
Agriculture,  has  made  an  admirable  report  on  the 
edible  mushrooms  of  the  United  States,  which  has 
been  handsomely  illustrated.  We  take  from  a report 
furnished  by  Dr.  Taylor,  the  following,  relative  to 
mushroom  culture : — 
The  cellar  of  a dwelling  house  is  a capital  place  for 
mushroom  beds,  and  can  be  used  in  whole  or  in  part 
for  this  purpose.  In  the  case  of  private  families  who 
wish  to  grow  only  a few  mushrooms  for  their  own 
; use  it  is  not  necessary  to  use  the  whole  cellar ; it  will 
be  sufficient  to  partition  off  a part  of  it  with  boards 
I and  make  the  beds  in  this,  or  to  make  a bed  along- 
side of  the  wall  anywhere  and  box  it  in  to  protect  it 
from  cold  draughts  and  from  mice  and  rats.  Shelves 
may  be  placed  above  the  bed  for  domestic  purposes, 
just  as  in  any  other  part  of  the  cellar.  Bear  iu  mind 
that  mushrooms  thrive  best  in  an  atmospheric  tem- 
perature of  from  50  deg.  to  60  deg.,  and  if  you  can 
give  them  this  in  your  house  cellar  you  ought  to  get 
plenty  of  good  mushrooms.  But  if  such  a high  tem- 
perature cannot  be  maintained  without  impairing  the 
usefulness  of  the  cellar  for  other  purposes,  box  up  the 
bed  tightly  and  from  the  heat  of  the  bed  itself  when 
thus  confined  there  usually  will  be  warmth  enough 
for  the  mushrooms,  but  if  there  is  not,  spread  a piece 
of  old  carpet  or  matting  over  the  boxing. 
The  beds  may  be  made  upon  the  floor,  and  flat  or 
ridged  or  banked  against  the  wall  10  or  12  inches 
deep  in  a warm  cellar,  and  15  to  20  inches  or  more 
deep  in  a cool  cellar,  and  about  3 feet  wide  and  any 
length  to  suit.  The  boxing  may  consist  of  any  kind 
of  boards  for  sides  and  ends,  and  be  built  about  6 or 
10  inches  higher  than  the  top  of  the  beds,  so  as  to 
give  the  mushrooms  plenty  of  head  room.  The  top 
of  the  boxing  may  be  lid  hung  on  hinges  or  straps, 
or  otherwise  arranged  to  admit  of  being  easily  raised 
or  removed  at  will,  and  made  of  light  lumber,  say  of 
half-inch  boards.  In  this  way,  by  opening  the  lid  the 
mushrooms  are  under  observation  and  can  be  gathered 
without  any  trouble.  When  the  lid  is  shut  they  are 
secure  from  cold  and  vermin.  Thus  protected,  the 
cellars  can  be  ventilated  without  interfering  with  the 
welfare  of  the  mushrooms.  A light  wooden  frame 
covered  with  calico  or  oiled  paper  would  also  make  a 
good  top  for  the  boxing,  but  would  not  be  proof 
against  much  cold  or  against  rats  or  mice.  If  desir- 
able, shelf  beds  could  be  built  in  warm  cellars  above 
the  floor  beds,  but  in  cool  airy  cellars  this  would  not 
be  advisable. 
Manure  beds  in  the  dwelling-house  cellar  may  seem 
highly  improper  to  many  people,  but  when  rightly 
bandied  these  beds  emit  no  bad  odor.  The  manure 
should  be  prepared  away  from  the  house,  and  when 
ready  for  making  into  beds  should  be  spread  out  thin, 
so  as  to  become  perfectly  cool  and  free  from  steam. 
When  it  has  lain  for  two  days  in  this  condition  it  may 
be  brought  into  the  cellar  and  made  into  beds.  Having 
been  well  sweetened  by  previous  preparation,  it  is  now 
cool  and  free  from  steam,  and  almost  odorless.  After 
a few  days  it  will  warm  up  a little  and  may  then  be 
spawned  and  earthed  over  at  once.  Do  not  bury  the 
spawn  in  the  manure ; merely  set  it  in  the  surface  of 
the  manure.  This  method  prevents  the  spawn  from 
being  destroyed  by  too  great  beat,  should  the  bed 
become  unduly  warm.  If  the  manure  has  been  well 
prepared,  however,  this  is  not  likely  to  occur.  The 
coating  of  loam  prevents  the  escape  of  any  further 
steam  or  odor  from  the  manure. — American  Grocer. 
THE  CULTIVATION  OF  WOOD  FOR  TEA  BOXES. 
Dr-  Heinrich  Mayr,  Lecturer  in  Forest  Botauy  at 
the  University  of  Munich,  writes  to  the  Indian 
Forester  : — I have  been  travelling  for  more  than  two 
months  through  the  northern  part  of  India  in  order 
to  study  forest  vegetation  from  the  point  of  view  of 
